Such scenes of inter-species compatibility and compassion warm my heart —and
the hearts of millions worldwide.

There are other pictures that trouble me: of animals being experimented on in
research labs, of farm animals being force-fed or forcibly confined, and
especially of horses being trucked off to slaughterhouses.

Most people love horses, from racetrack heroes like Smarty Jones and
Seabiscuit to no-longer-rideable pasture pets. But it’s a sad fact that every
year thousands of American horses are bid for at auctions by traders, and then
sold to slaughterhouses. Their meat is considered a healthier alternative to
beef in some countries. When I learned of this practice two years ago, I joined
with thousands of horse lovers to oppose it. Horses are known for their loyalty,
intelligence, and strength, and I felt instinctively that slaughtering them for
meat mocked those virtues.

My experiences on the frontlines have forced me to pray more diligently and
expansively for all creation. At first, my stand for horses came out of sheer
revulsion over their treatment. But I wanted a deeper, spiritual basis for
action. I realized that I needed a better grasp of God’s gift of dominion over
the earth, as it’s described in Genesis 1 — the spiritual account of creation
that precedes the Adam and Eve allegory. As I took my own concept of dominion
higher, it no longer worked to think of it only in terms of humanity’s moral
obligation to be a caretaker of all creatures and our common habitat. All too
easily, such a “stewardship” role can be distorted, and dominion is taken to
mean domination — the exploitation and oppression of so-called lesser beings for
profit or pleasure.

As I now understand it, the human family’s dominion over earth is like a
mirrored image — we simply reflect the Creator’s ultimate and loving authority
over His all-good creation. This kind of dominion is embodied in our innate
capacity to see and value all living beings from the divine standpoint — as
spiritual ideas. Just as human beings are infinitely more than flesh and bones
with a mind inside, animals are not just flesh with fur, feathers, or fins.
Rather, they actually consist of the attributes of God in varying degrees.

Animals exhibit intelligence, and intelligence is a quality of God as divine
Mind. Their vitality, grace, and gentleness have their source in the God who is
Life, Soul, and Love. The Psalmist must have sensed this unity: “O Lord, thou
preservest man and beast” (Ps. 36:6). A hymn based on Psalm 36 ends on the
uplifting note, “The whole creation owns Thy power” (Christian Science Hymnal,
Hymn 130). Our “beast” friends, powerful and permanent creations of their Maker,
cannot be forever helpless in the face of exploitation.

As the Christian healer and humanitarian Mary Baker Eddy once observed, “The
heart that beats mostly for self is seldom alight with love” (The First Church
of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 160). To empathize with all living
beings is to care about the treatment of every creature in God’s kingdom —
whether it be a horse or a hog, a dolphin or a dove. As one’s affection for
animals deepens, it’s natural to examine one’s motives across the board. Prayer
leads each of us to our own conclusions. In my case, the idea of eating the
flesh of animals — of creatures I love — soon became unacceptable to me. I
stopped that practice effortlessly. I find comfort in knowing that every time we
take a single step toward expressing more love for each and every living being,
the spillover effect doesn’t injure anyone, but blesses all.

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